With free agency heating up this week, the Colts are among three teams that are favored to sign free agent guard Andrew Norwell.
The offensive guard position is an absolute mess for the Colts as they head into free agency. Jack Mewhort was their one proven guard on the roster, but his season ended after five games last season and he will hit the open market as a free agent on Wednesday.
General manager Chris Ballard desperately needs to address this position before Andrew Luck hopefully returns to the field in 2018. Fortunately, there are a few quality guards available in free agency and Andrew Norwell is the best of that group.
Norwell has been a great player in each of his four NFL seasons, but he was finally rewarded for his performance with an appearance on the All-Pro team in 2017. Norwell was in and out of the lineup during the first two years of his career, but he has been a pillar of health starting 32 consecutive games over the past two seasons.
The 6′ 6″ 316-pound interior offensive lineman is a dominant run defender, but he may be an even better pass blocker. The Colts could use a player of Norwell’s skill to put alongside Ryan Kelly for years to come.
According to Art Stapleton of northjersey.com, the Giants and 49ers are finalists for Norwell along with the Colts. In the article, Stapleton seems confident that the Giants will land Norwell, but the Colts have much more cap space and can match any offer New York can make.
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Signing Norwell would be a great way to kick off free agency, and it sounds like Chris Ballard has a good chance to sign the All-Pro.